All the Devils' hottest news, from notes to numbers to neutral-zone traps

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Larry Robinson will be back behind the Devils' bench next season as new head coach John MacLean's top assistant.

Robinson similarly served under Jacques Lemaire, Robbie Ftorek, Kevin Constantine and Brent Sutter as an assistant coach for the Devils. He was an assistant to Sutter in 2007-08 before returning to his role as a special assignment coach with the Devils.

Goaltending coach Chris Terreri will also be returning to his role, but the rest of the Devils' coaching staff will be determined. A new head coach for Albany will also be selected.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Scott Stevens, who served as a part-time assistant coach last season, will return to his previous role as a roving coach that will spend time in New Jersey, Albany and Trenton. Lamoriello said that Stevens requested during last season to return to that role.

Mario Tremblay, who was Jacques Lemaire's top assistant last season, will remain with the organization as a special assignment coach.

Tommy Albelin, who has been a Devils' assistant coach for the last three seasons, will also remain with the organization, but will not be a Devils' assistant. Lamoriello said that Albelin expressed a desire to learn how to run a bench, but did not feel he is ready to be the head coach in Albany. Lamoriello said Albelin might end up as an assistant in Albany.

"When a new coach comes in he should be able to choose own staff," Lamoriello said in explaining the changes.

MacLean and Lamoriello will select at least one more assistant for New Jersey. MacLean said it would be nice if that assistant was an offensive-minded coach -- becuase Robinson will be responsible for the defensemen -- but that will not be essential.

One possible candidate could be Jim Dowd, who has expressed a desire to get into coaching and recently rejoined the organization as part of the community relations staff.

Lamoriello said another assistant would be chosen in time, but that bringing back Robinson "was the key."

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.